The East African Community (EAC) registered a strong upswing in international merchandise trade in the second quarter of 2025, underscoring the bloc’s economic resilience and expanding role in global markets, according to the latest EAC Quarterly Statistics Bulletin released on Monday, November 10.
Total trade for the eight-member bloc climbed 28.4 percent to 38.2 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 29.7 billion dollars in the same period last year. The surge was mainly fuelled by a 40.5 percent rise in exports to 18.6 billion dollars, while imports increased by 18.8 percent to 19.6 billion dollars, reducing the trade deficit from 3.2 billion dollars to 0.9 billion dollars.
Trade with other African countries rose sharply by 42.9 percent to 9.3 billion dollars, accounting for nearly a quarter of the region’s total trade. Intra-EAC trade also expanded by 24.5 percent to 4.6 billion dollars, while trade links with COMESA and SADC contributed 9.9 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively.
China, the UAE, South Africa, and Singapore remained key export destinations, with China retaining its position as the leading import source. Copper, precious metals, coffee, tea, and mineral fuels formed the bulk of exports, while petroleum products, machinery, and vehicles dominated imports. Despite the positive trade performance, inflation across the bloc remained elevated at 22.7 percent in June 2025, only slightly lower than May’s 24 percent, driven mainly by price hikes in South Sudan and Burundi.